Solar for All (Part C): Multi-State Programs - FY 2023
| Agency: | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
|---|---|
| CFDA: | 66.959 |
| Federal FON: | EPA-R-HQ-SFA-23-01 |
| Office: | Office of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) |
| Multipart Grant: | Yes |
| Next Due: | 10/12/2023 (Multiple) |
|---|---|
| Solicitation Date: | 06/28/2023 |
| Match Required: | No |
| Actual Funds: | $7,000,000,000 (Estimated) |
| Award Range: | $25,000,000 (Min) |
Summary:
The purpose of this program is to support clean energy technology deployment in low-income and disadvantaged communities while simultaneously building the capacity of community lenders that serve those communities. Awards will enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy or benefit from zero-emissions technologies. Specifically, awards will expand the number of low-income and disadvantaged communities primed for distributed solar investment, enabling millions of low-income households to access affordable, resilient, and clean solar energy. Recipients must use award funds to expand existing low-income solar programs or to design and deploy new projects. Award recipients will provide subsidies and other financial assistance to residential rooftop and residential-serving community solar projects in and benefiting low-income and disadvantaged communities, in addition to providing project deployment technical assistance, such as workforce development, community outreach, and other project-deployment support to help overcome barriers to solar deployment.
Refer to pages 10-12 of the NOFA file for a definition of low-income and disadvantaged communities.
The program will address the following overarching objectives:
- Reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants
- Deliver benefits of greenhouse gas- and air pollution-reducing projects to communities, particularly low-income and disadvantaged communities
- Mobilize financing and private capital to stimulate additional deployment of greenhouse gas- and air pollution-reducing projects
Projects may extend beyond solar generating capacity to include associated storage and enabling upgrades that allow for the deployment of solar energy in low-income and disadvantaged communities.
In addition to providing subsidies, other financial assistance, and technical assistance, award recipients may also use funds for administration activities, such as costs associated with program performance, financial and administrative reporting, compliance, and procuring services and tools that support project design.
Specifically, allowable costs include:
- Costs of providing financial assistance, including subgrants, rebates, subsidies, other incentive payments, or loans
- Costs for technical assistance
- Participant support costs for trainees in workforce development programs, with prior approval from the funding agency
- Costs of acquiring or improving real property, including related equipment purchases
- Costs of fundraising and preparation of proposals for funding from private foundations, federal agencies, and states, with prior funding agency approval required if funds will be used to meet the program's statutory objectives
- Project administration costs
Funding will be provided for the following program components:
- (Part A): State and Territory Programs
- (Part B): American Indian and Alaska Native Programs
- (Part C): Multi-State Programs
The purpose of the Multi-State Programs component is to support projects that serve similar communities across multiple states. Communities should be facing similar market challenges specific to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Award recipients will be expected to coordinate with state governments and regulators, where applicable.
Award recipients must use at least 75 percent of the awards they receive for financial assistance to solar projects.
An optional webinar is scheduled for this program. Refer to the Application section for details.
Last Updated: June 06, 2024
Eligibility Notes:
Eligible applicants are:
- Tribal governments
- Municipalities, including councils of governments
- Eligible nonprofit organizations
To be eligible, nonprofit organizations must have tribal leadership at the senior management level, as well as experience serving American-Indian and Alaska Native communities. Nonprofit organizations must also be designed to provide capital, leverage private capital, and provide other forms of financial assistance for the rapid deployment of low- and zero-emission products, technologies, and services. Refer to pages 29-30 of the NOFA file for additional eligibility requirements for nonprofit organization.
The program will accept applications from coalitions, in which one entity serves as the lead applicant. Refer to page 8 of the NOFA file for additional details regarding coalition applications.
All projects must serve serve similar communities across multiple states. Communities should be facing similar market challenges specific to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Award recipients will be expected to coordinate with state governments and regulators, where applicable. The funding agency will prioritize applications that maximize geographic coverage.
At least 40 percent of the overall program benefits must flow to disadvantaged communities.
There is no limit on the number of applications an applicant may submit. Applicants may submit multiple applications for any combination of program components, as long as each application is for a different project and is separately submitted.
FY 2023 award recipients include:
- Inclusive Prosperity Capital, Inc.
- Groundswell Inc.
- Growth Opportunity Partners
- Clean Energy Fund of Texas
- GRID Alternatives
Refer to the Award file for additional information regarding FY 2023 award recipients.
Eligible Applicants:
Local GovernmentConsortia
Native American Tribe
Non Profits
Application Notes:
Mandatory notices of intent (NOIs) must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on one of the following dates:
- Municipalities and nonprofit organizations: August 14, 2023
- Tribal governments and intertribal consortia: August 28, 2023
NOIs must be emailed to the address provided in the Contact section.
NOIs must include:
- Applicant name
- Applicant eligibility
- Number and type of applications
- Letter or memo in support of project from an authorized official
NOI submission emails must include one document as an attachment that has both the signed letter/memo and all other NOI contents.
Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on September 26, 2023.
The due date for the application has been extended to 11:59 p.m. ET on October 12, 2023. Additional information is included in the revised NOFA file.
Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.
Applications must include:
- SF 424
- SF 424A
- EPA Key Contacts Form 5700-54
- EPA Form 4700-4
- Grants.gov lobbying form
- Project narrative (40 pages max)
- Attachments:
- Summary program cover page
- Copy of submitted NOI
- Eligibility evidence documents
- Planning timeline and work plan
- Budget table
- Programmatic capability and environmental results past performance
- Memorandum of agreement as evidence of coalitions or partnerships (if applicable)
- Organizational table (if applicable)
- Letters of support (optional)
- SF LLL (if applicable)
The summary cover page and narrative must be formatted on single-spaced, standard-sized pages with one-inch margins on all sides, using 12-point Times New Roman font. The project narrative must be submitted as a single document. All attachment items must be consolidated into a single file, except for Microsoft Excel files.
The following are required in order to submit an application:
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
- SAM (System for Award Management) registration
Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.
An optional webinar for this program is scheduled as follows:
July 12, 2023
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usepa.zoomgov.com
Additional webinars may be scheduled for this program. Additional information will be made available online at www.epa.gov.
Applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:
- Project strategy narrative (175 points):
- Impact assessment (20 points)
- Meaningful benefits plan (30 points)
- Distributed solar market strategy (30 points)
- Financial assistance strategy (30 points)
- Project deployment technical assistance strategy (20 points)
- Equitable access and meaningful involvement plan (30 points)
- Planning timeline and workplan narrative (15 points)
- Project administration narrative (50 points):
- Budget narrative (15 points)
- Fiscal stewardship (20 points)
- Reporting plan (15 points)
- Programmatic capabilities and environmental results past performance (20 points)
Refer to pages 50-61 of the NOFA file for details regarding the application evaluation criteria.
Refer to the NOFA and Webinar files, as well as the Application folder, for additional application information.
| Match Required: | No |
|---|---|
| Actual Funds: | $7,000,000,000 (Estimated) |
| Award Range: | $25,000,000 (Min) |
|---|
Match Notes:
Matching funds are not required for this program.
Funding Notes:
Approximately $7 billion is available to support up to 60 cooperative agreements for this program overall, with an unspecified amount of funding available to support up to 10 cooperative agreements through this component. Applicants may apply for the following categories of awards:
- Small awards: ranging from $25 million to $100 million, for projects that serve up to 1 million people
- Medium awards: ranging from $100 million to $250 million, for projects that serve between 1 million and 5 million people
- Large awards: ranging from $250 million to $400 million, for projects that serve more than 5 million people
Award notifications are expected to be announced in March 2024. Awards are expected to be made in July 2024.
Project periods are expected to begin in July 2024, and must be completed within five years.
All project income must be retained and used for additional project-related capital deployment.
Award recipients must use at least 75 percent of the awards they receive for financial assistance to solar projects.
Costs of enabling upgrades should be no more than 20 percent of the total program financial assistance in the lifetime of the program.
Funds may not be used for:
- Individual projects
- Financial and technical assistance for technologies not defined as "eligible zero-emissions technologies” on pages 8-9 of the NOFA file
- Costs that are unallowable under 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 200, Subpart E, and under applicable provisions
- Supporting or opposing union organizing, whether directly or as an offset for other funds
- Costs for cost sharing, absent authorization in a federal statute
- Costs of acquiring intangible property
- Direct costs for preparing program applications
For FY 2023, a total of $7 billion was distributed through this program overall, with five awards issued through this component. Refer to the Award file for details.
Contacts:
Program Staff
GGRF@epa.gov
Agency Address
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20460
Contact Notes:
Questions should be directed to the program staff.
Notices of intent (NOIs) must be emailed to the address provided.
Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.
The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.
Files:
Other Pre-Award File: US18295C_Webinar_FY2023.pdf (91.6 Kb)Other Pre-Award File: US18295C_FAQ_FY2023.pdf (168.3 Kb)
Application File: US18295C_Application_FY2023.zip (137.3 Kb)
NOFA File: US18295C_NOFA_FY2023.pdf (922.2 Kb)
Award File: US18295C_Award_FY2023.pdf (681.5 Kb)
File Notes:
The NOFA file contains the revised full solicitation for this program. The Application folder contains required forms for submission. The Webinar file contains information regarding the pre-application webinar scheduled for this program. The FAQ file contains a list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding this program. The Award file contains information regarding FY 2023 award recipients. Additional program resources can be found online at www.epa.gov.
June 6, 2024
Information regarding previous awards through this program and component has been released and attached as the Award file. A brief summary of the awards has been added to the Financial section, and a sample of award recipients has been added to the Eligibility section.
September 6, 2023
A revised full solicitation for this program containing an announcement concerning the changing of the due date for the application has been released and attached as the NOFA file. The Financial and Application sections have been updated accordingly.
July 11, 2023
A revised form for submission has been released and appended to the Application folder as the Timeline&WorkPlan file.
Grant Keywords
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Community DevelopmentTraining & Vocational Services
Energy
Environment/Natural Resources
Human Services